Schneider Electric is sending two female employees to Malaysia as part of its Australian team to compete in Amazon Green Tree Raid being held from 19 to 28 November.
The event is a women’s only, six day adventure race, where teams of three work together to complete physical challenges including trail running, mountain biking and canoeing.
This is the fourth year that teams from Schneider Electric have taken part, competing against more than 80 teams from companies around the world.
The two Schneider Electric Australia employees involved are Maud Pilfert, Global Supply Chain, Customer Experience and Continuous Improvement Manager and Kathie Mackay, Client Relationship Executive, IT Business at Schneider Electric.
In addition to its team from Australia, Schneider Electric is sending teams from France and the US.
Maud Pilfert is from Grenoble, France and has been working for Schneider Electric for seven years, in France, Denmark, and has been in Australia since January 2012.
Maud said: “I've always worked in Supply Chain – I think it's because I love organising, coordinating plans and having the opportunity to interact with people in different departments.
"In my current role, I lead a team of project leaders, who improve processes and productivity, and deploy new capabilities for our customers.
"In my personal life, I enjoy catching waves on the northern beaches of Sydney, riding mountain bikes in the Blue Mountains and running in the National Parks.”
Kathie said: “For the last 10 years I have managed construction projects for government, education and commercial clients, ensuring quality projects are delivered on time and on budget.
"One of my projects included the first significant roll out of APC data centre Hot Isle Containment systems. In my personal life, I have always been a driven fitness participant.
"After doing competitive gymnastics for about 16 years, I needed to find something equally challenging while letting me fulfil my maternal duties. I’m really looking forward to tackling the Malaysian rainforest!”
Maud and Kathie spent one weekend training together in Canberra, where they went mountain biking in Stromlo and canoeing on Lake Burley Griffin.
“The calibre of applications we received this year was impressively high,” Pip Russell, VP Human Resources Pacific, said.
“Schneider Electric encourages its employees to tackle exciting challenges at work on a daily basis and it is great to see two colleagues pushing themselves to the limits in hostile surroundings overseas.”
Maud and Kathie make up two thirds of the Australian team. The third member is Soad Mahir, from Schneider Electric France.
Schneider Electric was recently recognized as one of the 50 students' favorite employers in the "World's Most Attractive Employers" ranking by Universum, a global leader in employer branding.